US 4,050,570 AGranted

Can orienting device

AssigneeCarnation Company

InventorNorman C. Kramer

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Abstract

A device for orienting filled and seamed two piece cans, in which a single line of randomly oriented cans is divided into two lines, all of the cans in one line being oriented in an upright position and all of the cans in the other line being oriented in an inverted position. The cans in one of the lines are then inverted and the lines combined to provide a single stream of cans oriented in one direction. The device has a rotatable turret body having a plurality of can receiving pockets around its periphery. A lever arm is pivotally mounted above each of the pockets and is adapted to engage the seamed end of the can in the pocket when the outer end of the lever arm is pivoted to a horizontal position. Cam means are provided to pivot the outer end of the lever arm from an elevated position to a horizontal position while the can is carried from a point adjacent a can inlet chute on a short arcuate path to one of a pair of can outlet chutes. Cans which are in an inverted position in the pocket are not engaged by the lever arm and pass to the other outlet chute to thereby separate cans which are in an inverted position from those which are in an upright position.

A can orienting device for use with cylindrical cans having a seamed top end and a rounded bottom edge which comprises

a rotatable wheel having a plurality of can receiving pockets around its periphery, said wheel being adapted to receive cans from an inlet chute and rotatably carry said cans to one of a pair of outlet chutes laterally spaced about the axis of rotation of said wheel, the wheel being disposed substantially parallel to the base of said chutes
lever means carried on said rotatable wheel and mounted for pivotal movement above each of said pockets,
said lever means having a can contacting end portion which is adapted to be pivotally moved toward the can receiving pocket to engage the seamed top end of the cans and hold in the pockets those cans which are positioned on the inlet chute with the seamed top end adjacent the lever means, and to urge out of the pockets those cans which are positioned on the inlet chute with the rounded bottom edge adjacent the lever means, and
means operatively connected to said lever means to maintain the can contacting end portion of the lever means in a can engaging position substantially parallel to said wheel when the lever means is rotatably carried on said wheel from the inlet chute to the outlet chute most remote from the inlet chute around the axis of rotation of the wheel and to pivotally move the lever means out of a can engaging position when the lever means is rotatably carried from said outlet chute to said inlet chute
whereby cans received in the pockets of said wheel with the rounded bottom edge of the can adjacent the lever means are urged out of the pocket and are carried by the wheel to a first outlet chute, while cans received in the pockets of said wheel with the seamed top end of the can adjacent the lever means are held in the pocket by the lever means and carried to a second outlet chute more remote from the inlet chute around the axis of rotation of the wheel.

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Abstract

Claims7